China's “black tech” receives attention at 2024 MWC Barcelona. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

By Staff Reporters

Sci-tech innovation has not only boosted the competitiveness of China's traditional industries, but also solidified their foundation and injected impetus for the development of new quality productive forces. China's achievements to promote innovation-driven development have subsequently been recognized globally.

Seeing the future at MWC Barcelona 

According to DIGITIMES Asia, the commanding presence of Chinese tech giants like Huawei, ZTE, Honor and Xiaomi truly captured widespread attention at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) Barcelona 2024. These industry leaders, showcased their latest innovations, underscoring the significance of Chinese players in the mobile communications landscape.

According to data from the MWC organizer GSMA, over 300 Chinese enterprises participated in MWC 2024, with Huawei retaining its position as the foremost exhibitor. Notably, this year marks China Telecom's inaugural appearance at MWC Barcelona, alongside the debut of Alipay, the popular third-party payment platform.

"Chinese firms have become an integral part of the exhibitors in Barcelona," said Sihan Bo Chen, greater China head of GSMA, an international mobile operator association and the event organizer.

Mats Granryd, director general of GSMA, praised the  impressive displays at the Chinese booths. "If you go around and see what they are showcasing, it is really cutting-edge," he said.

"In recent years, Chinese enterprises have demonstrated formidable innovation and research and development capabilities. This surge is evident in significant investments in R&D, the establishment of global research centers, as well as the growing number of patents filed," said Luigi Gambardella, president of the Brussels-based international digital association ChinaEU.

"(This year's MWC) is not about mobile or digital only anymore. We are here to see the future," said Gambardella. He further highlighted the importance of Chinese companies' role at the event. "What we observe this year is that Chinese firms are taking center stage," he said.

Over 300 Chinese companies participated in the event. "This prominent presence not only showcases the technological prowess of Chinese enterprises, but also underscores their commitment to pushing the boundaries of what's possible with 5G and AI," Gambardella added.

Green technology patents grow dramatically

A report by Bertelsmann Stiftung, an independent German foundation, found that over the past five years, China has increased the number of "world-class patents" in green technology from 11,000 to 37,000, putting it far ahead of other countries in the world, according to German business newspaper Handelsblatt.

China has made a "rapid rise" over the last 20 years to become one of the leading research nations in green technologies. "In terms of research dynamics, no other country can keep up with China," as the country is "the most important driver of growth" in green technologies worldwide, according to the report.

In most categories, while China is among the top three research locations worldwide, it is already number one in the category "Sustainable consumables/recycling." The country has nearly doubled its global share in this category over the last five years to almost 40 percent. China has also more than tripled its world-class patents in green technologies to 37,000 since 2017, while the share of the U.S. Japan and the EU saw declines.

As BNN Bloomberg, Canada's Business News Network, reported, China has overtaken the European Union in research related to clean-energy technologies. China led the number of peer-reviewed publications in areas including solar and wind power, as well as lithium batteries, heat pumps and carbon-capture technology in 2021. That's a reversal from 2010, when the EU led on publications in all those sectors except for wind, according to a research paper done for the bloc's executive arm.

"China is increasingly becoming a world leader in science and innovation, for several critical technologies," said the paper, adding, "The EU's exposure to China is becoming increasingly technological."